No. 1 Indiana meets No. 5 Oregon to advance to national championship game

The winner of the College Football Playoff semifinal Friday night in the Peach Bowl can look forward to another trip to the South.

In the national championship game, the survivor of the Big Ten rematch between undefeated No. 1 Indiana (14-0, CFP No. 1 seed) and No. 5 Oregon (13-1, CFP No. 5) will feel like a true road team.

Waiting in the Jan. 19 national title game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida will be No. 10 seed Miami, which advanced with a 31-27 victory over Mississippi on Thursday night in the first CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.

The Big Ten will be playing for its third straight title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons.

Indiana had a 30-20 victory at Oregon on Oct. 11 to hand the Ducks their only loss. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.

Each team advanced to the Peach Bowl semifinal with dominant CFP quarterfinal wins.

Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks shut out Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl as freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Indiana will be trying to complete an unlikely success story. The Hoosiers earned the top seed in the CFP by remaining undefeated with an impressive combination of a powerful defense, strong running game and the leadership of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who led the nation with 36 touchdown passes.


(AP Photo Kyusung Gong)